Faith and Doubt, p. 3
“What is here presented, is addressed, rather, to one who locates himself within the circle of tradition and faith, and finds himself challenged, attacked, besieged by-and attracted to-the skepticism and denial that reign outside and beckon him to abandon his sanctuary and enter into the spiritual weightlessness without.”
(א) וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר. (ב) אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים
(1) And God spoke all these words, saying: (2) I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
(א) כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא, שנאמר (ישעיה ס) ועמך כלם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ נצר מטעי מעשה ידי להתפאר.ואלו שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא, האומר אין תחית המתים מן התורה , ואין תורה מן השמים, ואפיקורוס.רבי עקיבא אומר, אף הקורא בספרים החיצונים, והלוחש על המכה ואומר (שמות טו) כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ה' רפאך.אבא שאול אומר, אף ההוגה את השם באותיותיו.
(1) ALL ISRAEL HAVE A PORTION IN THE WORLD TO COME, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, THY PEOPLE ARE ALL RIGHTEOUS; THEY SHALL INHERIT THE LAND FOR EVER, THE BRANCH OF MY PLANTING, THE WORK OF MY HANDS, THAT I MAY BE GLORIFIED. BUT THE FOLLOWING HAVE NO PORTION THEREIN: HE WHO MAINTAINS THAT RESURRECTION IS NOT A BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, THE TORAH WAS NOT DIVINELY REVEALED, AND AN EPIKOROS. R. AKIVA ADDED: ONE WHO READS UNCANONICAL BOOKS. ALSO ONE WHO WHISPERS [A CHARM] OVER A WOUND AND SAYS, I WILL BRING NONE OF THESE DISEASES UPON THEE WHICH I BROUGHT UPON THE EGYPTIANS FOR I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE. ABBA SHAUL SAYS: ALSO ONE WHO PRONOUNCES THE DIVINE NAME AS IT IS SPELT.
שלושה עשר עקרים לרמב"ם פירוש המשנה סנהדרין פרק י'
וממה שראוי שאזכיר כאן וזהו המקום היותר ראוי להזכירם בו, שעיקרי תורתינו הטהורה ויסודותיה שלש עשרה יסודות.
היסוד הראשון מציאות הבורא ישתבח. והוא, שיש שם מצוי בשלמות אופני המציאות, והוא עלת מציאות כל הנמצאים, ובו קיום מציאותם, וממנו נמשך להם הקיום. ואלו נתאר סלוק מציאותו כי אז בטלה מציאות כל נמצא ולא ישארו קיימים במציאות, ואלו נתאר סלוק כל הנמצאים זולתו, כי אז לא תבטל מציאותו יתעלה, ולא תחסר, כי הוא יתעלה בלתי זקוק במציאותו לזולתו, וכל מה שזולתו מן השכלים כלומר המלאכים וגרמי הגלגלים ומה שלמטה מהן הכל זקוק במציאותו אליו. וזה יסוד הראשון הוא אשר מורה עליו דבור אנכי ה' וכו'.
Faith and Doubt, p. 6
Cognitive Faith-One may intellectually accept certain propositions as true, i.e. unity of God, without logical proof. A Belief-That
Trust -Relationship Based Faith, A Belief-In
Faith and Doubt, p.7
Trust is then divided into 2 categories
1) Affective Faith-Feelings
2) Functional Faith-Actions
Faith and Doubt, p.11
Spurious-A doubt is spurious if it does not issue from a question that expresses and authentic concern for the truth. The spurious doubter, however, seeks not to discover truth but to avoid both it and the passion to which it obligates him.
Methodological-Self restriction of the believer in the process of strengthening his faith so that it may withstand criticisms. He isolates the doubt, and examines it as a surgeon would a diseased organ without affecting the rest of the body of his faith…but by itself it is the necessary means for achieving greater and more authentic religious knowledge.”
Substantive Doubt-In substantive doubt, the question possesses and directs me. Doubt has broken into my life, much against my will, has created havoc with my peace of mind, and leaves me in a state of anxiety, of spiritual hysteria.
It was taught in a baraita that a non-Jew came before Shammai and asked him, "How many Torahs do you have?" Shammai responded, "Two, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah." The non-Jews said, "I believe in the Written Torah, but not in the Oral Torah. Convert me and teach me only the Written Torah." Shammai berated the non-Jew and chased him out. The non-Jews came before Hillel and Hillel converted him. One day Hillel taught him the alef-bet, and the next day he switched the names of the letters. He said to Hillel, "Didn't you teach me the opposite yesterday?" Hillel responded, "Just as you trust me in the instruction of letters, so to you must trust me in the instruction of Torah."
Kuzari 3:58
“A man cannot attain a relationship with God except by the observance of the word of God.”
Faith and Doubt, p. 28-30
- Tefilla-Prayer of Course will not answer philosophical questions and resolve theoretical doubts, but it will take the sting out of them and by the force of relationship, help transform the substantive doubts into methodological ones
- Learning Torah-Study of Torah is therefore a means of achieving an encounter with the divine presence... the study of Torah, too, is a way of rediscovering a belief in relation to god.
- Community-Identifying with a community of believers which has a tradition of faith and a history which includes an encounter with the divine is itself a way of relocating oneself in a relationship of trust in god.
(ה) וַיַּ֣רְא יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל־יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ (ו) וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם׃ (ח) וְנֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
(5) And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. (7) And the LORD said: ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.’ (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Faith and Doubt, p. 32-33
If even for a fleeting moment, which may be worth all of eternity: by the realization that we may well be the objects of God’s Doubt. The fullness of faith can be attained when, instead of doubting God, we come to the sudden and terrible awareness that God may be doubting us; that our human existence has yet to be affirmed by God who may not be convinced of its worth. That God may have lost faith in us because we have betrayed him. That must be the focus of our concern.”